Welcome to the Winobloggers webpage! Students and professors from different universities meet to discuss their findings on Winogradsky columns they constructed!
We learn how to formulate hypotheses, observe, comment, ask and reply to questions related to our scientific experiments.

Winogradksy columns

'In the field of observation, chance only favors the prepared mind' Pasteur 1854

Blog posts

Friday, 2 June 2017

UCA_5B_3: Day 30 (Germán López Toledo & Miguel Bruzón Lobatón)

Winogradsky column

Our Winogradsky column can be differed after two months in three different sections. It has been developing from a large methane producer to a Hydrogen sulfide one, it can be observed because purple sulfur bacteria. This acid is made by the sulfate reducing bacterias.

•The first section to be explained is the purple sulfur bacteria. Firstly the iron sulfate was created, but when the iron was spent , the sulfur had to reaction with hydrogen. This compound goes up to the water in order to get de-coupled. When it was enough concentrated the bacterias started to grow and that is why the water has this distinctive purple colour. This hydrogen sulfide makes its characteristic rotten eggs´ smell.

•The second section to be described is the acid bearing cyanobacterias. They have to bear acid because there is a high hydrogen ions, if not, they would not multiply. It can be inferred due to its green colour and the pH in which they have life.

First and second column

•The third to be explicated is sulfate reducing bacterias.This microorganism uses the calcium sulfate to make the anaerobic breath. It reduces the sulfate into sulfur. This sulfur reactions with the iron contained in the mud changing the color´s mud into the current black. This bacterias´ group are strict anaerobes for what the grow on the bottom, where oxygen can not be found. Furthermore they forced the others to adapt to the acid environment. This happens because of the sulfate excess and the lack of iron enough; so, like aforementioned, the last electrons aceptor´s, sulfur reaction with the hydrogen forming the hydrogen sulfide.

Winogradsky column is a perfect experiment of how a environment can be created and stabilised without introducing any new microorganism, but with new compounds. Moreover it shows that one bacteria´s leftover is the raw material of other. We would like to enhance how these simple life can work together in order to benefit from each other. It is the perfect example of microscopic economising.

1 comment:

You have a very nice looking column. Purple and green sulfur bacteria at the top and lots of sulfate reduction occurring at the bottom.

The rest of the post unfortunately is difficult to comprehend. To which acid are you referring to? Hydrogen sulfide? Can you check if this "acid" or the reaction that produces it actually increase or reduces the pH of the medium? What is the typical pH of marine sediment?